The top 11 edge-rushers in the 2021 draft class

* https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/lists/2021-nfl-draft-edge-rushers-jaelan-phillips-azeez-ojulari-kwity-paye/

A story I relate often comes to us from the 2013 NFL draft, and is the perfect way to begin this article. Early on night one the Miami Dolphins traded up with the then-Oakland Raiders to select Dion Jordan, the pass rusher from Oregon. When the pick was made Mike Mayock, now the general manager for the Raiders, stated that the move told us something about the state of professional football. Paraphrasing here, Mayock stated that the most important place on the field was the pocket. Teams need players that can throw from that spot, that can protect that spot, and that can attack that spot.

That remains true today. Think about how this draft is expected to unfold, with potentially four quarterbacks off the board with the first four picks, and then two offensive linemen shortly thereafter.

But what about the players who can attack that spot?

This is an intriguing EDGE class, if an incomplete one. It lacks the surefire prospect at the top, the complete player that you know can step in and produce without reservation. If you are looking for a Chase Young or Jadeveon Clowney or a Bosa Brother at the top of the board, you might be out of luck.

That does not mean, however, this class lacks talent. Far from it, in fact. The only issue is that you might need to sacrifice a trait or take a gamble on development. If you get the evaluation and the fit right, you might just find that player to attack the spot.

Here are the top 11 EDGE prospects in the 2021 draft class.

1. Jaelan Phillips, Miami

Height: 6’5″ (92nd) Weight: 260 (51st)
40-Yard Dash: 4.56 seconds (93rd)
Bench Press: 21 reps (39th)
Vertical Jump: 36 inches (81st)
Broad Jump: 125 inches (90th)
3-Cone Drill: 7.01 seconds (80th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.13 seconds (96th)

Bio: Once upon a time Jaelan Phillips was the top recruit in all of high school football. Graded as a five-star prospect out of Redlands East Valley High School in Redlands, California by 247sports, Phillips had no shortage of interested programs knocking down his door. He was considered the top player at his position, and the top overall prospect by 247sports.com. Phillips committed to play at UCLA, and unfortunately his career with the Bruins did not match his potential. He played in seven games as a true freshman in 2017, and the following season he appeared in just four before a concussion ended his sophomore campaign.

And his time at UCLA.

In December of 2018, following three concussions, Phillips retired from football. Coming from a musical family (his grandfather Jon Robinson is a critically acclaimed pianist and conductor, his mother plays the cello and his father plays the trumpet) Phillips enrolled at Miami and entered the Frost School of Music. But the passion for the game was still there, so he returned to the field for the Hurricanes and this past season looked like the former top-rated recruit. He notched 45 total tackles (15.5 for a loss) and eight sacks in one season, and now stands as perhaps the top prospect at his position yet again.

Stat to Know: Pro Football Focus charted Phillips with 36 total pressures over his final seven college games.

Strengths: Between the lines, Phillips is a rather easy evaluation. It should be no surprise that a former five-star recruit (and once the top prospect in the country) is good at football. Phillips is solid against the run, with good awareness and vision on the edge and the ability to use his hands and upper-body strength to lock out blockers while he identifies the run design and seeks out the ball carrier. He shows good awareness and feel against traps, pulls and zone designs when the slice block from the backside is coming his way. Phillips also displays good discipline on jet sweeps and end arounds, fighting to keep contain.

But if you are drafting an EDGE you want a pass rusher, and Phillips certainly delivers in that regard. He has a great compliment of moves off the edge, including cross-chops, swims and spins, as well as the ability to counter the tackle late in the play. He is explosive off the line, particularly when given the green light to slant or stunt to the inside. His film is replete with examples of him cutting inside and beating tackles and even guards to the spot. He even shows the ability to dip and bend, an essential trait for pass rushers.

Phillips also has the size and quickness to kick inside on passing downs or in sub packages. There are a number of examples from 2020 of this trait, particularly early against Duke where his quick, violent swim move led to immediate pressure on a number of downs. He also kicked inside to NT on a few snaps (PFF charted him with four snaps in the A-Gap this past season) and you can envision some defensive coordinators using him as the single lineman in some 1-5-5 or 1-4-6 sub packages. Patrick Graham might love to get his hands on Phillips.

Weaknesses: As mentioned above, the football part is the easy piece to the evaluation. His main weaknesses stem from the off-the-field portion, which is something that a chucklehead like me cannot answer with any certainty. There is a medical history with Phillips that is hard to ignore. In addition to the three concussions — which led to his medical retirement — there is also a broken wrist suffered during a scooter accident during his time at UCLA. Teams are going to want to drill down on the medical side before making him a first-round pick.

There is one small, nitpicky thing with him that shows up on film, mostly when he is in a two-point stance. Phillips will sometimes false step, picking up his lead foot at the snap and dropping it right back down. That costs him a split-second off the line of scrimmage. It did not hurt him at Miami — and he is much more explosive in a three-point stance — but every split-second counts on Sundays.

Conclusion: If teams are satisfied from a medical perspective, this is an easy selection. The talent and potential is there for Phillips to be a dominant player off the edge at the NFL level, and he also offers discipline and awareness against the run, making him a complete package. His ability to dominate on the inside with his quickness and array of pass-rushing moves makes him an asset on every down in the league.

Comparison: Mike Renner of PFF went with Frank Clark as a comparison, which seems applicable to Phillips and what he offers at the next level.

Resources: For more on what Phillips offers off the edge you can check out this piece on Phillips and the “pass rushing plan.”

2. Azeez Ojulari, Georgia

Height: 6’2″ (17th) Weight: 249 (26th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.60 seconds (88th)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: 124 inches (94th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: ESPN graded Azeez Ojulari as a four-star recruit from Marietta High School in Marietta, Georgia, and Ojulari was coveted by a number of SEC schools including Alabama, Forida and Auburn. He chose Georgia, staying in-state to play his college ball. But due to an ACL tear suffered during his final season at Marietta, Ojulari played in just two games in 2018 as a freshman and ultimately redshirted. He returned to the field for 2019 and appeared in all of Georgia’s games, notching 33 tackles and 5.5 sacks.

This past season his production exploded, as in just ten games Ojulari recorded 31 total tackles (including 12.5 for a loss, a career-high) and another career-best mark with 9.5 sacks.

Stat to Know: Ojulari is a true “EDGE,” as Pro Football Focus charted him with just one snap in the A- or B-Gaps over his three-year career.

Strengths: Speed is the name of Ojulari’s game. While some other prospects in this class have more power few — if any — can match what Ojulari offers around the corner. Ojulari has tremendous explosiveness and quickness off the edge, with an impressive first step and the ability to turn the corner and flatten to the quarterback. His hands are very impressive, has he can chop/rip/swat against most tackles and there are some reps where he just leaves the tackle in his wake.

He is still filling out his plan as a rusher, and there are moments where you would love to see him come up with a better counter or Plan B, but you can find some good examples of him figuring this out if you look. On one play against Missouri he initially punches with his left hand to attempt a long-arm move, but when the tackle handles that he immediately dips to the inside and is able to put a big hit on the QB. Another example is from his game against Mississippi State where the left tackle does not bite on his Euro step move, so Ojulari immediately tries to counter with a long-arm move.

But as he figures out how to effectively counter, his ability to win with speed and quickness will serve him well. That explosive first step gives him an advantage around the outside against most tackles, and also helps him when freed up to slant or stunt to the inside. His athleticism and ability to corner make him a solid prospect at the position. Another solid trait of his is his length. At Georgia’s pro day Ojulari measured in with 34.38 inch arms, placing him in the 84th percentile among EDGE prospects. That shows up when he turns to the long-arm move.

Finally, that Mississippi State game is a fascinating study. The Bulldogs used a number of three-man fronts to try and slow down MSU’s Air Raid offense, which led to Ojulari facing a lot of double-teams.

Weaknesses: Given his reliance on speed, power is a part of his game that needs to be filled out. His initial plan of attack on almost every play is to try and win with quickness, and while that often worked on Saturdays he’ll need a more complete package to win consistently on Sundays. There are moments when tackles got their hands on him, and the play was over before it began.

Ojulari is also a pure EDGE right now, and is not someone you can see kicking inside on sub packages or on passing downs. He was also part of a deep rotation at Georgia at the position, and as PFF noted he never played more than 52 snaps in a game. That led to a number of plays where he had fresh legs, relatively speaking. It also led to the tremendous finish to his college career against Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl, where he put together a number of sacks in the final half of play including a safety on his final collegiate snap. There could also be questions about whether he is better suited for an off-ball, OLB role rather than as a player with his hand in the dirt.

Conclusion: There is always room for a player who can corner, bend and get to the quarterback. Ojulari’s quickness gives him a true trump card that will work at the next level. He might not have the full array of moves under his belt, but you can see him starting to piece it all together. His length will also serve him well on Sundays in the league. He might be a pure outside-only player but his quickness and explosiveness is worth an early pick.

Comparison: Ojulari’s size, frame and athleticism remind me a bit of Marcus Davenport, who had a stunning first-round rise and was ultimately drafted by the New Orleans Saints who traded up to do so. Ojulari is seeing a similar rise, building off his Peach Bowl performance.

3. Kwity Paye, Michigan

Height: 6’2″ (18th) Weight: 261 (54th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.52 seconds (97th)
Bench Press: 36 reps (99th)
Vertical Jump: 35.5 inches (76th)
Broad Jump: 118 inches (61st)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Kwity Pay was born in a refugee camp following the First Liberian Civil War. He was named after his father, who died in the conflict, and his mother brought him and Kwity’s brother Komotay to Rhode Island when Kwity was just six months old. He developed a passion for football and played both running back and defensive end in high school, and was named Rhode Island’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in 2016. Considered a three-star recruit he turned down offers from northeast schools such as Boston College, Rutgers and Syracuse to play for the Michigan Wolverines.

Paye was an immediate contributor for Michigan as a true freshman, playing in nine game and recording a sack. His breakout season was as a junior in 2019, where he notched a career-high 6.5 sacks. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season Paye still managed to record a pair of sacks.

Stat to Know: Paye made Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks” list prior to this past season, and with 36 bench reps (99th percentile) and a 4.52 40-yard dash (97th percentile) you can see why.

Strengths: For the most part, that freakish athleticism translates to film. He is powerful off the edge or even in the interior, with hands and upper-body strength to rock defenders off the snap and control them if necessary. He can also convert speed-to-power off the edge, and has a bull rush move that can drive even the best blockers back into the pocket.

On film Paye did some of his best work against the run, with the ability to stack/shed blockers and identify the target in the backfield. That is where those 36 reps on the bench show up, as he can lock out and control blockers while finding the ball-carrier behind them. He also shows good discipline against traps and can scrape off blockers well to get the to running back. He also works on the outside to set the edge against the run, and knows where his help is coming from in those situations.

I also love what he did against zone read teams, as he remained assignment sound and if the play went away from him, you cannot question his effort. His film is filled with effort plays both against the run and when rushing the passer.

He is building out his toolkit as a pass rusher, but you can see a variety of moves being developed. His bull rush is perhaps his best move — due to his power — but you can find examples of him using a push/pull, a rip/dip, a long-arm or even the occasional swim move.

Weaknesses: There are moments when his hands are a bit slow off the line, which enabled some tackles to get into him and control him through the play. Some have questioned his ability to put together a plan, or to come up with counters, but there are some examples. Against Michigan State this past season he flashed a long-arm at the start of one play before immediately changing into a rip/dip move based on how the tackle set against him. There is another example of him flashing a cross-chop and again turning to the rip/dip move as a counter attack. Still, there is room for growth here.

Despite his strength and ability to kick inside, there were moments when he got swallowed up by interior offensive lines. Keeping him on the edge might be a better course of action at the next level.

Conclusion: Ultimately, Paye might offer a better floor than the two prospects above him, and teams might find that enticing at the next level. He does not have the medical concerns that you find with Jaelan Phillips, and he is already built for the NFL game unlike Azeez Ojulari who still needs to add some strength and power to his arsenal. He has played on the interior so he offers some versatility, and while I do think he is better off the edge teams are going to value that from him.

Comparison: Jordan Reid of The Draft Network sees some Brandon Graham in Paye’s game and profile, and that does make sense. Paye, however, goes with a different comparison and tries to model his game after Yannick Ngakoue.

4. Joseph Ossai, Texas

Height: 6’3 5/8″ (58th) Weight: 256 (44th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.65 seconds (80th)
Bench Press: 19 reps (21st)
Vertical Jump: 41.5 inches (99th)
Broad Jump: 131.5 inches (99th)
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Joseph Ossai was born in Nigeria, and moved to Texas with his family when he was ten years old. He was graded as a four-star recruit by 247sports.com, choosing to play for the University of Texas over schools like Notre Dame, Oregon and Texas A&M. He was a contributor immediately on campus, playing in every game as a true freshman and recording a sack and a forced fumble. As a sophomore in 2019 he played in 13 games, tallying 90 total tackles (13.5 for a loss) and five sacks. He also added a pair of interceptions. He was named the MVP of the 2019 Alamo Bowl after his three-sack performance. In the nine games of his junior season he added another 5.5 sacks, including three in a win over Oklahoma State.

Stat to Know: Pro Football Focus charted him with three-plus pressures in seven of Texas’ nine games this season.

Strengths: At the outset you should understand that I might be higher on Ossai than consensus. PFF graded him as a third-round prospect, and Jon Ledyard — whose opinion I value particularly when it comes to EDGE players — has him as the sixth-best EDGE in the class. This is part of what he wrote: “Ossai might be the ultimate boom-or-bust edge prospect in this class, so like a true coward I’ve planted my flag right between the polarizing grades on him.”

I am going to plant that flag, and here is why. I think Ossai is just scratching the surface of what he can be at the next level, and you cannot match his athleticism and his effort. He is explosive off the line — and can improve in this area as we will discuss — and is adept at cornering of the edge. He is building out a complete set of pass rushing moves, but you can see examples of rip/dips, push/pulls, swim moves and even a bull rush or two. His first step is impressive, particularly when he can cut inside off the snap.

You also will not outwork him. His motor runs hot on every play from snap to whistle, and whether double- or even triple-teamed, he is going to fight to the football. Against the run he will stack and shed and use his hands to keep fighting while getting his eyes on the football.

Ossai started in more of an off-ball role before transitioning to a defensive end this past season, but Texas still found times to drop him into coverage in both zone and man coverage schemes. That versatility is going to be a plus for him as teams could use him in a few different roles

Weaknesses: Ossai is still learning it seems, given the position switch this past season, and that has led to some snap hesitation on plays. This is something that Benjamin Solak has explored, and I have done work on as well. Here is what Solak put together:

If he cleans this up, you are talking about a potential home run pick. The problem? The phenomenon of “coach-it-up-itis,” which is a term I’ve come up with to outline the belief that everything can get fixed with coaching. Is it possible? Sure. Is it a safe bet? Maybe not.

In addition to the above, Ossai could use his hands better, particularly when facing cut block attempts. I would love to see him flare out the hands and drive would-be blockers to the turf to keep his legs and ankles clear.

Conclusion: Ultimately, Ossai is one of my favorite prospects in the draft because you can see the potential. Maybe the allure of what he can be, and the phenomenon of “coach-it-up-itis,” is clouding my judgement. But I look at what he is now, where he is athletically, and think with just a bit of refinement to his approach you are talking about a double-digit sack player in the NFL. Can it happen? Maybe, maybe not. But sometimes in the draft you have to roll the dice and this is a bet I’m willing to make.

Comparison: In a recent mock draft I had the Baltimore Ravens drafting him as a potential Matthew Judon replacement, and there is a reason…

Resources: After Ossai’s incredible pro day I put together this piece on him, that dives into that snap hesitation and his upside.

5. Jayson Oweh, Penn State

Height: 6’5 7/8″ (78th) Weight: 257 (46th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.39 seconds (100th)
Bench Press: 21 reps (39th)
Vertical Jump: 40 inches (96th)
Broad Jump: 134 inches (100th)
3-Cone Drill: 6.84 seconds (96th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.15 seconds (95th)

Bio: Jayson Oweh played his high school football at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. Considered a four-star recruit by ESPN, who also graded him as the second-best player in the state and 94th overall, Oweh had offers from a number of Big Ten schools including Ohio State and Michigan. He went to Penn State and was a rotational player as a true freshman, notching a pair of sacks. That continued in 2019, where he made one start and added five sacks to his resume.

The production was not there in 2020, as Oweh was held without a sack for the first time in his career. As we will see, that does not tell the whole story…

Stat to Know: While Joseph Ossai was the clubhouse leader for “best pro day from an EDGE prospect” Oweh took that — unofficial — title from him after his performance a few weeks ago. Both his broad jump and 40-yard dash placed him in the 100th percentile among players at his position. He was named to Bruce Feldman’s “freaks” list two seasons in a row for a good reason.

Strengths: Athleticism is the trait that simply jumps off the film. Some might not know this about me but for a few seasons I covered the Minnesota Golden Gophers for the Rivals network. Part of my job was to write about the upcoming opponent in a “Scouting Notebook” series, where I would study the upcoming offense and defense and break down each player the Golden Gophers would face.

Here is what I wrote about Oweh two years ago when discussing their pass rush: “The only one who really stands out is Oweh. He had a very good pass rush rep late in the game against Michigan State with impressive speed off the edge. He runs the arc and then rips to the inside to get a sack/fumble.”

That remains true to this day. His athleticism and speed off the edge is great, almost elite. But he also has some power to his game, and can pack a punch with his hands. On one play against Ohio State this past season he drove the guard back in to the lap of the quarterback, so he is not just a finesse/speed player. Against the run he shows good vision and does a good job of stacking and shedding blockers. He is also disciplined against zone read designs.

He can be a weapon on stunts to the inside. When Penn State tasked him with slicing inside he was often able to get immediate pressure on the opposing passer. Oweh can also chase down plays from behind due to his impressive speed and the effort he puts into each snap.

Weaknesses: The first question is the production element. How could a player with these tools and traits not record a single sack? Some if it was scheme, as he did see his share of double-teams and chips from tight ends. But there were also moments when the pressure did not result in a sack, due to elusive quarterbacks. For those who believe pressure is production, however, you can make the case that despite the lack of sacks Oweh’s 2020 season was still production.

Oweh also relies on his athleticism more as a pass rusher, rather than technique. I did not see a lot of evidence that he can string together moves, counter blocks and pass sets, and win in the technical game.

Conclusion: With athleticism like this, however, who cares about the technical side? Of course that is a rather glib statement but when you see Oweh and what he can do athletically, you can talk yourself into draft him early and molding him into a more complete player. You can refine pass rushing technique over time, you cannot teach his athleticism and explosiveness off the edge.

Comparison: PFF’s Mike Renner went with Montez Sweat, which might be a perfect comp.

6. Quincy Roche, Miami

Height: 6’3″ (33rd) Weight: 243 (13th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.68 seconds (72nd)
Bench Press: 23 reps (56th)
Vertical Jump: 32.5 inches (41st)
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: Hailing from Owings Mills, Maryland, Quincy Roche was a standout defensive end and tight end at New Town High School. A three-star recruit according to 247sports.com, he entertained offers from smaller schools such as Appalachian State and Toledo before enrolling at Temple. Roche was an impact player for the Owls from the day he set foot on campus, notching seven sacks as a true freshman. His best season by far was back in 2019, when he tallied 13 sacks and was named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year as well as a First-Team All-AAC player. He transferred to Miami for his final year of eligibility as a graduate, and he added another 45 tackles and 4.5 sacks to his resume, this time as an ACC player.

Stat to Know: According to Pro Football Focus Roche’s 104 pressures the past two seasons made him the most productive pass rusher in all of college football.

Strengths: Roche is a technically-advanced pass rusher that wins with effort, technique and experience. Given the number of games he has played and the different players he has seen, Roche is able to read and react to almost anything a tackle can throw at him. He can put together a variety of pass rushing moves, including cross-chops, swims, rips, and spins, and he can counter most pass blockers with an efficient plan of attack. Early against Duke this past season you saw that on a play where he initially tried to rip and dip around the edge, but hit the tackle with a counter/spin late in the down for a sack. His hands in that game against Duke were extremely impressive, particularly on cross-chop moves where he was leaving the Duke tackles in his wake.

He is also adept at exploiting over-sets and mistakes by tackles. Against Pittsburgh this past season the tackle set too far to the outside exposing the inside gap, and Roche immediately identified that and attacked inside to generate pressure on the QB. In that game he also showed a bit of a Euro step on one snap, threatening the outside shoulder of the tackle and then cutting inside to force the QB off the spot. The Clemson game also provided some examples of Roche ironing out a long-arm move, adding one more element to his arsenal.

Weaknesses: Roche is more technique than power or athleticism, and more experienced tackles might be better suited to handle what he attacks with off the edge. You even saw some of that this season in games against Virginia Tech and Clemson, when he was working against experienced and/or talented tackles who could handle his array of moves or simply beat him with power and/or athleticism. Speaking of which, athletically Roche does not compare well to some of the other prospects in this class, and he might be more of a finished product than players like Jayson Oweh or Joseph Ossai.

Conclusion: Still, it is hard to argue with the production. Dating back to high school — Roche set a school record his senior year with 19 sacks — Roche has found ways to get to the quarterback. He might not duplicate those kinds of numbers in the NFL, but players with a knack for getting to the QB are still a valued part of a roster. He might not have the ceiling of other players on the draft, but the floor is rather solid.

Comparison: I see a little of Trey Flowers in his game, a player who might rely on technique and need a bit of scheme help to produce at the next level.

7. Rashad Weaver, Pittsburgh

Height: 6’4″ (68th) Weight: 259 (49th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.83 seconds (33rd)
Bench Press: 20 reps (31st)
Vertical Jump: 33 inches (41st)
Broad Jump: 114 inches (36th)
3-Cone Drill: 6.98 seconds (84th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.30 seconds (74th)

Bio: 247sports.com graded Rashad Weaver as just a two-star prospect coming out of Cooper City High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Weaver played both basketball and football at Cooper City, and was a tight end and defensive end in the fall and a center on the hardwood. He originally committed to Michigan, but when he was informed that he would have to be a preferred walk-on, he switched his commitment to Pittsburgh. Weaver tallied three sacks as a redshirt freshman in 2017, and then 6.5 sacks as a sophomore in 2018. He was set for a breakout year as a junior in 2019 but tore his ACL prior to the season, missing the entire year. He came back for the 2020 campaign and tallied a career-high 7.5 sacks in just nine games.

Stat to Know: The Panthers used him as a pure EDGE, as he saw just 14 snaps over the tackle — and nothing on the inside — this past season according to Pro Football Focus.

Strengths: Weaver has length and he knows how to use it. He has great technique and hand usage, and his length makes his reliance on a long-arm move a natural fit. But he offers more than just that one move, as you can find examples of him winning with a swim move, a cross-chop, a rip/dip, and he can also bend around the arc to get to the quarterback. When it comes to countering tackles, his preferred method of attack is to counter-spin late in the down and he is effective when turning to that move.

I enjoyed seeing Weaver work against the run, as he shows power at the point of attack and great hand technique. Tackles and other blocker who try and cut him are often found on the business ends of his hands, as he drives them face-down into the turf and evades the attempt. He has great awareness overall — against the run and the pass — and knows how to relate down when he sees the tackle down block, and he can initiate contact against traps and slice blocks.

Recognition and awareness might be two of his strengths, as he can diagnose plays well and will sink under screens or designed throws to the flat. He also uses his length to disrupt passing lanes and force the QB to either reset or adjust his arm angle.

Weaknesses: Weaver is another “floor” prospect, as there might not be a ton of room for growth. He wins with power, length and technique, and does that part of the job well. But the athletic profile does not offer a ton of hope for his upside. He tested well at his pro day, which might offer some potential, but his career arc might best be summed up in one play against Syracuse, where he uses fantastic technique to beat the tackler, but misses on the sack because he cannot change direction quickly enough. There was also an example of that against Clemson and Trevor Lawrence where he won with technique, but ended up falling on his back trying to chase the QB as he spun away from him. Maybe this is a case where the good testing numbers on his agility drills (4.30 short shuttle, 6.98 three-cone) overshadow moments like that on the field.

Conclusion: NFL decision makers love safe floors, and that is what Weaver offers. That coupled with his awareness, recognition, work against the run and his discipline make him a safe option. His age and lack of burst might not provide an enticing ceiling, but you can see a path to him unlocking some effort sacks at the next level.

Comparison: I can see a little bit of Deatrich Wise Jr. to Weaver’s game.

8. Payton Turner, Houston

Height: N/A Weight: N/A
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

(Pro day scheduled for April 9).

Bio: 247sports.com graded Payton Turner as a two-star prospect, and the 359-ranked player in the state of Texas alone. Coming out of Westside High School in Houston, Texas he entertained interest from Kansas, Purdue, Texas and Michigan but his only offer came from the Cougars, so Turner enrolled at Houston. Part of this might have been due to a knee injury his senior year which caused him to miss the bulk of his final prep season.

Turner played immediately for the Cougars as a true freshman, tallying 14 tackles and an interception. He started the first 11 games of his sophomore year and while his season ended early due to a foot injury, he recorded 42 total tackles, including 3.5 for a loss. His final two years on campus saw him truly start to produce off the edge, as he recorded 3.5 sacks as a junior and five as a senior, in just five games due to the COVID-shortened year. Turner earned an invitation to this year’s Senior Bowl for his efforts.

Stat to Know: Turner’s productivity increased every season. In addition to the big jump in sacks Turner notched a whopping 10.5 tackles for a loss in 2020, again in just five games. That beat his previous mark of 7.5 set in 2019 over a 12-game season.

Strengths: There are often prospects that you come to late in the process, and wish you had spent time on earlier in the cycle. Payton Turner is one such player for me. But I am glad I took the time to study his tape. It is hard to find a more contrasting set of game than watching a pass rusher against BYU and then Navy, but watching those two contests gives you a flavor of what he can be against the run and when rushing the passer. Turner is powerful and violent off the snap, and shows power at the point of attack when working against the run. He does not quit until the whistle, and his game against Navy flashed a number of effort plays where he was chasing down runs from behind. He also displayed impressive change-of-direction skills on one counter option, when he spun back to mirror the QB and dragged him down for a tackle behind the line.

Rushing the passer is what moves the needle for EDGE defenders, and Turner checks that box as well. He has a bevy of moves at his disposal, including rip/dip moves, an impressive cross-chop that he will pair with either a rip or a swim after if necessary, a push/pull move and he will even just rely on a bull rush if necessary. On one play against BYU’s right tackle he used that bull rush to just walk him back into Zach Wilson’s lap, influencing the QB’s arm angle.

Turner also has quick hands, and when combined with his experience and array of moves he is a pass rusher with a clear plan. It is rare to see him use the same move on two consecutive snaps, and he is ready to counter the tackle should his initial move be stymied. He will use a spin or a late rip as a preferred method of countering, but really you can see him turn to a different Plan B from snap-to-snap. There are even some flashes of bend and cornering ability from him, which is also quite intriguing. Finally, given his experience if a tackle makes a mistake, he will make you pay.

Turner is not the most athletic or bursty defender, but the size, frame and length when coupled with his experience and technique makes for a nice package.

Weaknesses: Turner plays extremely high with his pads, and will need to either adjust his pad level or accept the fact that he will lose some reps when tackles get into his exposed chest. He is not the most explosive player off the edge, and he wins with effort, technique and experience. He also took advantage of the competition around him, and has just the two (or one-and-a-half) years of good production. He had success against BYU’s right tackle and at times against Brady Christensen, their left tackle who is going to get drafted this cycle, but the level of competition is an open question. His Senior Bowl week, however, should alleviate some of those fears.

Then there is an injury history, both with the high school injury and the lower body injury that ended his sophomore season early.

Conclusion: Still, his tool-kit as a rusher coupled with his ability to kick inside makes him an extremely enticing option, even early on Day Two of the draft. I love what he offers from a technical standpoint, and also what he demonstrates in terms of a plan of attack. My only regret is that I did not start watching him sooner.

Comparison: I am getting an Adalius Thomas vibe from him, a player who when left to pressure the quarterback thrived, but when asked to do more in terms of coverage and playing in space struggled.

9. Joe Tryon, Washington

Height: 6’5″ (87th) Weight: 259 (49th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.64 seconds (81st)
Bench Press: 22 reps (47th)
Vertical Jump: 35 inches (72nd)
Broad Jump: 118 inches (61st)
3-Cone Drill: 7.18 seconds (55th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.36 seconds (60th)

Bio: Joe Tryon was graded as a three-star recruit by ESPN’s scouting services, after playing at Hazen High School in Renton, Washington. He received a handful of offers from schools in the Pacific Northwest including Washington State, Oregon and Eastern Washington, and originally chose Washington State, but decided to flip his commitment and play for the in-state Huskies. He redshirted his freshman year but in 2018 he appeared in 12 games, notching 20 tackles and a sack. Tryon enjoyed a bit of a breakout in 2019, as he tallied eight sacks and was named a Second-Team All-Pac-12 player. That would be the end of his college career, as he opted-out for 2020 due to COVID-19.

Stat to Know: Pro Football Focus charted him with 29 pressures in his final seven games during the 2019 season, which is a heck of a way to end your career.

Strengths: There is a phrase in life: “Do one thing and do it well.” That could apply to Tryon and his mode of attack as a pass rusher, as he wins primarily with a speed-to-power bull rush off the edge. Forget evading you, he wants to run through you. It works on occasion, but what gives me more hope about his NFL career is what you are seeing him use to complement that move. You are seeing examples of him using cross-chops and even the occasional rip/dip move to add to the weapons in his bag.

Tryon is another defender who is acutely aware of what could be coming his way, in terms of traps or slice blocks. He takes those on with violence, driving into the blocker and turning running plays back to the inside. He does not take a single snap off, and finishes every play to the whistle.

Something I noticed with him, particularly in his game against Oregon in 2019, is how well he handled playing in space. He showed good awareness and feel for handling underneath zone coverages, passing off receivers, and making tackles in the open field. Could there be an unlocked OLB type waiting to be discovered at the next level? The idea intrigues me…

Weaknesses: One of the biggest questions facing Tryon is the production angle. With some of the other players in this class with thin resumes, such as Gregory Rousseau, you have one year of elite production or execution to hang your hat on. Here, you have a year with eight sacks, many of which came as effort plays rather than due to his technique. Still, he is explosive on the outside and might have the versatility to play both on the inside and in space as just discussed. Again, you cannot teach size and frame, and Tryon checks those boxes. A creative defensive coordinator could find ways to involve him all over the defensive front and just unleash him on the opposing offensive line from a variety of alignments and angles. That works too in the NFL, last I checked.

Conclusion: Teams will talk themselves into what Tryon could be, and if they do that in conjunction with the potential versatility he offers, that might be a smart bet. I think there is schematic versatility in that Tryon could be an off-ball OLB in a 3-4 base scheme with the potential to drop down as a defensive end in even fronts. You could also kick him to the inside on some sub packages. There are things to play with here, and that will be enticing on the second day of the draft.

Comparison: Tryon could be a “boom/bust” type of player, and you can see a variety of outcomes for him. On the high end of that range you could be getting T.J. Watt-lite, a player who thrives in a role as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 base scheme who can primarily rush the passer but also handle coverage responsibilities. But how often are “high ends” realized? On the low end of the range you might get Daeshon Hall. Somewhere in the middle? Perhaps Dawuane Smoot, who has carved out a solid little role with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

10. Gregory Rousseau, Miami

Height: 6’7″ (98th) Weight: 266 (67th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.69 seconds (71st)
Bench Press: 21 reps (39th)
Vertical Jump: 30 inches (14th)
Broad Jump: 115 inches (42nd)
3-Cone Drill: 7.50 seconds (16th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.45 seconds (36th)

Bio: Gregory Rousseau did it all for Champagnat Catholic School in Hialeah, Florida. He was a defensive end, safety and wide receiver for his high school football team, and helped Champagnat Catholic to its second state title in school history. As a senior he tallied 80 tackles and ten sacks, including three sacks in the state championship game. He also earned Second-Team All-State honors as a wide receiver, catching nine touchdowns in 2016. He enrolled at Miami and after playing in a few games as a true freshman, an ankle injury ended is season and he took a medical redshirt. He came back as a redshirt freshman in 2019 and exploded on the national stage with 15.5 sacks, earning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He was also named a First-Team All-ACC player as well as a Second-Team All-American.

Rousseau opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19.

Stat to Know: Rousseau has just 546 career college snaps. That…requires a lot of projection.

Strengths: Rousseau immediately checks the size, length and frame boxes. His length pops on film against the run and as a pass rusher, as he has developed a great long-arm move that shows up off the edge. He also has the ability to lock out blockers against the run, and loves to set the edge against run plays. Rousseau has long strides off the edge, which gets him into most tackles quickly in the down despite a lack of pure explosiveness. For a player of his size he has impressive footwork, and that shows up when tackles try to cut him, as he can quickly step back with ease and rely on his feet, rather than his hands, to evade cuts.

Even with his frame, Rousseau has the ability to dip and bend around the arc with ease. He is disciplined against option plays and rarely bites on fakes. His power shows up on film, particularly when he uses that long-arm technique but also when he tries to overpower tackles with a bull rush attempt.

Miami also kicked him inside — he saw 74 A-Gap snaps according to PFF charting — and he stood out in those opportunities. He seemed to generate immediate pressure on those occasions and perhaps even showed a bit more burst and explosiveness than he did on the outside.

Weaknesses: I mentioned the 546 snaps, right? Because that is not an extensive body of work and there is a lot of projection that goes into what he could be at the next level. Beyond that, Rousseau is relatively new to being a pass rusher, having spent a lot of his prep days playing in the secondary and as a receiver. You can see a lot of false steps from him off the line, mostly when in a two-point stance, and you would like to see more from him in terms of a pass rushing plan and counter moves. If you are looking for a technically-sound option in this class, Rousseau might not be your top choice. He also relies mightily on a Euro-step move to the inside and he either wins with that…or doesn’t. Basham also has an upright playing style and high pad level, which allows some tackles to get into his frame and win the rep. Finally there are now questions about his athleticism, given his pro day performance.

Conclusion: Still, for a team looking for a situational pass rusher with the chops to kick inside while they hope to fill in the rest of the blanks, Rousseau could be an enticing option. He might need a lot of development and coaching, but you cannot teach his size and frame. I know I know, the words of the wise Emory Hunt ring in my mind: “Size is not a skill.” Sometimes, however, it is enchanting…

Comparison: Coming up with a comparison for Rousseau is tough, as most raw prospects rely more on athleticism than frame. This writeup of him uses Arik Armstead as a comparison which is the best I’ve found.

11. Carlos Basham Jr., Wake Forest

Height: 6’3″ (46th) Weight: 274 (81st)
40-Yard Dash: 4.64 seconds (81st)
Bench Press: 20 reps (30th)
Vertical Jump: 34 inches (61st)
Broad Jump: 122 inches (82nd)
3-Cone Drill: 7.13 seconds (60th)
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.25 seconds (84th)

Bio: A standout on the gridiron and the hardwood for Northside High School in Roanoke, Virginia, Carlos “Boogie” Basham Jr. turned down offers from Pittsburgh and Cincinnati to enroll at Wake Forest. Basham redshirted his first year on campus but was a contributor the rest of his career for the Demon Deacons. He was named a First-Team All-ACC player as a junior in 2019 when he recorded 57 total tackles (18 for a loss) and ten sacks. He returned for one final season and appeared in six games, notching five sacks. Basham earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl and was one of the better performers down in Mobile.

Stat to Know: Pro Football Focus charted Basham with just 35 B-Gap snaps this past season but operating inside could be critical to his future success.

Strengths: Basham favors winning to the inside, which has its benefits and its curses. Smarter tackles who did their homework were patient on his initial attempt to threaten the outside and simply would ride down on him when he eventually tried to slice inside. But Wake Forest catered to that, using him on a lot of stunts and twists to free him up to the inside, and you would see his motor and his ability to swim to the inside. That might be his best move as a pass rusher, a swim move, which he uses often and is even more effective at implementing when kicked to the inside. Against Clemson this season he saw a few snaps as a three-technique and you saw that inside swim move work to pressure Trevor Lawrence.

Basham is also an experience defender with great awareness, particularly against the run when he stays disciplined against zone read designs and has great feel for trap blocks and slice blocks on inside zone plays. He can either long-arm those blockers and keep his eyes on the play or initiate contact with them. He will fight to set the edge on runs to his side, and if you run away from him the motor never stops. Basham is more than able to chase plays down from the backside. I do not think you can question his competitive toughness. When you see him fighting against and through double-teams down 31-3 to Clemson, you check that box of the scouting report and move on.

Weaknesses: I did not see a full array of pass-rushing moves, which is somewhat concerning given his experience. He flashed a few cross-chops and a spin move at times, but by far he wants to win to the inside either by design or with a swim move. He also seems to lack a plan off the edge, mostly in terms of how to counter what he sees from the tackle or when the tackle handles his initial move. It seems his favored approach is to simply outwork the opponent or try and fight to the inside.

Conclusion: I believe Basham’s key to contributing immediately in the NFL is as a situational pass rusher on the interior. That is, at least to me, when he seemed to be at his best. Working against guards and centers with that swim move that he loves so much. He can offer interior pressure via that means while filling out the rest of his toolkit as a pass rusher off the edge.

Comparison: Jon Ledyard compared him in a sense to Curtis Weaver, the Boise State product who was trying to figure things out last season from an execution and technical standpoint, and that comparison carries some weight.

Rating Every NFL Coach’s Chances to Survive the 2021 Season
Our Coaching Survival Ratings are based on play-calling skills, coaching cachet, postseason success, intangibles and more.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/03/26/nfl-coaches-survival-rating-2021-season

…Coaching Survival Rating could combine what they’ve done in the past, their biggest strengths and their weaknesses, which is a better methodology than simply ranking them, no? A ranking could, with a few exceptions, be a descending list of last year’s standings. CSR factors in their ability to call plays in their area of strength, their cachet as a manager, their Super Bowl trips and wins, and how respected and needed they are within the context of their environment. For example, there may be two coaches with the exact same record last year but wildly different CSRs because one is newly hired, one was a big hire, one has a longer contract, one is closely tied in with ownership, etc.

Basically, what is their ability on a scale of one to 10 to survive a really bad season, and why?

One housekeeping note: We have omitted all of 2021’s new coaches, as they’ll all be working from a theoretically clean slate except for David Culley in Houston, who has a Sisyphean journey ahead of him.

TIER 1
Bill Belichick, Patriots
CSR: 10.0

Greatest head coach in modern NFL history
Defensive schematic genius with black ops military ties
Eight Super Bowl rings
If the Patriots went 0–16 next year, insisting on fielding a team of unpadded folk singers instead of football players, his motives would not (and should not) be questioned. Belichick is as untouchable in the NFL as untouchable gets.

Andy Reid, Chiefs
CSR: 9.8

Riding the wave of cutting-edge NFL offenses
Has the ear of the NFL’s most promising young talent
Affable, honest lover of meats in a great food city
It would be hard to imagine the NFL or the Chiefs without Reid. So many coaches eventually go stale, but the beautiful thing about Reid is his commitment to learning new ideas. That, and a front office that shares his desire to layer the offense with more playmakers than a defense can handle. Reid’s arrival in Kansas City signaled one of the most significant culture changes in modern NFL history. With consecutive Super Bowl appearances under his belt, he is as close to being an institution in his city as any coach not named Bill Belichick.

Sean Payton, Saints
CSR: 9.6

Fields consistently good-to-great teams
Super Bowl title
Expert troll
Payton’s choice to coach the Saints at a time when the city and fan base was reeling will never be forgotten. Like Reid, he is on the cutting edge of NFL offensive thinking and has the cachet to get the roster he wants year in and year out, salary cap be damned. Payton could come out and denounce gumbo, jazz music and drinking in public and still be a beloved figure in his adopted home city.

Mike Tomlin, Steelers
CSR: 9.6

Two Super Bowl appearances, one victory
Has never had a losing season in the NFL
Rolodex of great sayings
Tomlin will forever be underappreciated by Steeler Nation despite doing more than his fair share living up to Bill Cowher’s legacy. Tomlin’s worst year came in 2019 when the club went 8–8 with a combination of Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges at quarterback. Last year’s team ran out of steam at the tail end of the season, though with a quarterback pushing 40 and an offensive line coming to terms with its own age, there were few other scenarios more inevitable.

Pete Carroll, Seahawks
CSR: 9.1

Two Super Bowl appearances, one victory
Creator of generation-defining defensive scheme
Endless fount of positivity
Seattle’s power structure is unique, and Carroll’s standing reflects his status as a personnel lead. His recent combativeness with Russell Wilson is interesting in that both sides seem to be putting a bit of their legacy on the line to get what they want. Will Carroll and his desire for a more measured and conservative offense win out? Will Wilson’s incredible talent win out? Carroll also has a pair of championships at USC to boost his résumé.

John Harbaugh, Ravens
CSR: 9.0

Super Bowl title
Employs one of the most creative offenses and defenses in the NFL while also staffing one of the league’s most robust and powerful analytics outfits
Only current NFL head coach named John to spell his name with an ‘H’ in it
Harbaugh’s transformation during the Lamar Jackson era cemented his staying power in Baltimore, something the Ravens may have realized concretely back in late 2018, when it seemed like Harbaugh would take his talents elsewhere. The line of teams waiting at his doorstep was probably an indicator of how he’s thought of throughout the league.

Bruce Arians, Buccaneers
CSR: 9.0

Most recent Super Bowl champion
Tom Brady confidant
Whiskey lover and overall life enthusiast
Arians has transitioned beautifully from life as the quarterback whisperer to life as the ultimate culture creator. His bright, young, diverse coaching staff is talented and something he can leave behind for another decade. His ability, as reported by our own Jenny Vrentas and Greg Bishop, to meld his offense and put his pride aside to accommodate Brady’s wishes brought forth a Super Bowl win that will stand forever.

TIER 2
Kyle Shanahan, 49ers
CSR: 8.8

Super Bowl appearance
Creator of the NFL’s most en vogue offense
Pioneer of meshed-back trucker hat renaissance
It feels like even if the 49ers miss the playoffs this year there won’t be a ton of pressure on Shanahan, who has shown how dominant of a coach he can be with a fully healthy roster at his disposal. Shanahan’s coaching staff has been routinely pillaged during his time in the NFL, a sign that he’s doing something right.

Sean McVay, Rams
CSR: 8.8

Super Bowl appearance
Photographic memory
Potent, option-style quarterback still in his athletic prime
I feel fairly confident in saying that if the Rams were to shake anything up in the event of a down year in 2021, it would not be with the coaching staff. McVay rode his brilliant scheme to a Super Bowl appearance in 2018 and now gets a quarterback, in Matt Stafford, who can perhaps serve as a better avatar for his system. The future appears bright in L.A. Best of all, McVay’s identification of Brandon Staley shows he can identify coaching talent as well as on-field talent.

Matt LaFleur, Packers
• Ascending young offensive play-calling star
• Can handle being around Aaron Rodgers
• Former quarterback of a team called the Omaha Beef

CSR: 8.8

I view LaFleur on similar footing as Shanahan or McVay, given two straight 13-win seasons and two straight trips to the conference title game. The result in those games, outside of the interesting call to kick a field goal against the Buccaneers, was largely due to inefficiencies out of LaFleur’s control. The Packers struck gold with this hire and there’s little doubt he will be there after Rodgers moves on.

Sean McDermott, Bills
CSR: 8.7

Ignited the league’s wildest fan base
Changed a broken culture and made the Bills into consistent winners
Accomplished wrestler, potentially the most dangerous NFL coach in hand-to-hand combat
Buffalonians fall deeply in love with coaches who can bring even a modicum of energy to their city. Bring them within a whiff of the Super Bowl again and you can feel comfortable buying a house and hanging out for a while. McDermott has assembled one of the league’s best coaching staffs and has an ascending star quarterback still on a rookie deal.

Ron Rivera, Washington
CSR: 8.6

Super Bowl appearance (at a previous stop)
Defensive mastermind with a talented roster
Quietly intimidating
Rivera has brought a level of professionalism to Dan Snyder’s Washington Football Team that we haven’t seen since Mike Shanahan, which either means he can stay as long as he wants, or some absurd organizational discord will force his ouster after one just okay season. In all seriousness, there was a lot of mess to clean up, and Rivera brought a big shovel.

Mike Vrabel, Titans
CSR: 8.1

Consistently fields teams that play well above on-paper expectation
Fun dad
Great mustache
Vrabel has the eye and connections to field good offensive coordinators and the drawing power to bring in legendary defensive help when needed. He connects with players on a deeper level than perhaps any of the other current NFL head coaches and will always be a difficult coach to game plan against. He is the original kneecap biter.

Mike Zimmer, Vikings
CSR: 8.1

Three playoff appearances in six years, 64 total wins
Ornery, defensive mastermind with a history of good offensive assistants
Owner of a rustic paradise with the largest deer head of any NFL coach
Zimmer has become the definition of Why get rid of him? He’s always good enough, his teams are always somewhat competitive, he drafts fairly well and has no major flaws as a head coach. He fits the vibe in Minnesota well and has squeezed some impressive runs out of some O.K. teams.

Kevin Stefanski, Browns
CSR: 8.0

Took the Browns to the playoffs for the first time since Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me” was the No. 1 song in the country
Piloted a woebegone franchise through a pandemic
Expertly trimmed 5 p.m. shadow
Stefanski was the jewel of Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta’s eye for a while, and their first year of marriage alongside GM Andrew Berry proved why. This organization is on the same page and Stefanski’s offense is the perfect fit for Baker Mayfield, who looks more in control and comfortable than at any point in his NFL career. If he can routinely visit the playoffs and develop a long-term quarterback, he’ll have done more than approximately 87 other Browns head coaches have been able to do since 1999.

Brian Flores, Dolphins
CSR: 7.9

Has helped the Dolphins get taken seriously for the first time in more than a decade
One of the few Belichick assistants who embodies the best of Belichick
Refused an indirect order to tank and piloted a threadbare roster to five wins
Flores will be in Miami for a long time, especially if he can find himself an offensive coordinator. His coaching job in 2019 was one of the best efforts from a new head coach we’ve ever seen, single-handedly willing a punchless roster to five wins. If Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t work out, Flores would seem to have the staying power to survive into QB2.

Frank Reich, Colts
CSR: 7.0

• Quarterback whisperer on the rise
• Two playoff appearances in his first three years
• Beard/non-Beard versatility

This will be an interesting season to gauge the long-term future of Reich. Carson Wentz is now (again) his quarterback and the two have an engrained relationship. If the Wentz experiment works, Reich will become indispensable in Indianapolis. If the Colts as presently constructed can’t make the playoffs, thus squandering the team at its collective prime, his star takes a bit of a hit. To be clear, Reich is tracking to be one of the better head coaches in the NFL, but this season could begin to tip the sliding scales in one direction or another.

Matt Rhule, Panthers
CSR: 6.8

Highly sought-after collegiate coach with a history of program turnarounds
Employer of one of the NFL’s best young offensive coaches
Has the plucky demeanor of an amalgam of all Friday Night Lights characters
Rhule’s six-year contract signals staying power on its own, but he handled his first season under the hood pretty well, all things considered. The Panthers were a tough team to play despite having limited talent. His inability to land a big-time quarterback may rear its head at some point, but for now, he’s not going anywhere.

Joe Judge, Giants
CSR: 6.9

Would have coached a rudderless Giants team into the playoffs had the Eagles played four quarters in Week 17
Has a laundry list of lovable, high school football coach drills
Emanates grit
Having covered the Giants on the beat and having covered football in the New York area for a decade, I can tell you there is an immediate smell test that a coach has to pass. Ben McAdoo never passed that test. The same could be said for Pat Shurmur. Joe Judge, on the other hand, seems to have employed a combination of on-field fire, deadpan humor and fundamental knowhow into a comfortable place on the coaching hierarchy.

TIER 3
Kliff Kingsbury, Cardinals
CSR: 6.3

Air Raid savant
Tenured relationship with star franchise quarterback
Impeccable sense of space and decor
Kingsbury is interesting in that the better Kyler Murray gets (partially because of his tutelage) the more pressure there will be on him to win. Arizona is pushing its chips to the center of the table this offseason, which means all eyes will be on a coach who went 5–10–1 and 8–8 in his first two years. Should he make the playoffs, all is well. Should Arizona falter, can he survive the closer Kyler Murray gets to a new contract?

Jon Gruden, Raiders
CSR: 6.2

Forward thinking offensive mind
Franchise icon
Able pitchman
I believe my former boss Peter King when he says the heat will get dialed up on Gruden if the Raiders don’t make the playoffs this year. Hiring Gruden in grand fashion was a great tribute to Al Davis from his son Mark. But keeping Gruden on a $100 million deal after four seasons and no playoff appearances would be a very un-Al thing to do.

Mike McCarthy, Cowboys
CSR: 6.0

Super Bowl champion (though at a previous stop)
Known quarterback whisperer
Expert job interviewer
I think anyone who’s coaching a quarterback Jerry Jones is paying $40 million per year better make the playoffs. To be clear, I have no doubt McCarthy will turn things around in Dallas, but I have a lot of doubts that Jones would be patient and let a tenured coach take a bunch of time finding his footing while the Cowboys’ core offensive players age out of their prime.

Matt Nagy, Bears
CSR: 5.7

Play design expert
Two-time playoff participant
Endearing Philly-Delco accent
I think Matt Nagy is a gifted painter trying to Bob Ross it in Chicago with a wooden club instead of some brushes. Perhaps Andy Dalton is the answer but, understandably, there isn’t a great deal of enthusiasm going into the season. If I were ownership, I would take solace in the fact that he could get some pretty bare offensive teams to the playoffs. Will ownership actually think that way?

Vic Fangio, Broncos
CSR: 5.5

Creator of the NFL’s most devilish (and frequently copied) defensive scheme
Experienced coach with strong relationships around the league
Beloved native of the greater Scranton area
There isn’t much bad to say about Fangio, but the reality of the situation is that he’s headed into year three of his coaching tenure with no winning seasons and a new general manager on board. This is always a tough situation for a coach, and unless the Broncos turn their fortunes around this year, it might be difficult for him to remain in Denver beyond 2021.

Zac Taylor, Bengals
CSR: 5.4

Highly recommended play-caller from the Sean McVay tree
Expressed a rare willingness and enthusiasm to live and work in Cincinnati
Fan of simple, resellable home design
I don’t know if the Bengals would get rid of Taylor after two years, but in general, life is fairly complicated for a head coach when he gets a quarterback at No. 1. The clock immediately starts ticking, and as good as Joe Burrow looked before his injury, would the Bengals start to worry that they aren’t getting enough out of their investment? Like the Gruden blurb, this is highly dependent on an owner we expect to be non-reactionary to actually be reactionary.

https://elemental.medium.com/yes-covid-penis-is-a-thing-4a88a3843c2c

Yes, Covid Penis Is a Thing
Some men say Covid-19 is hitting them below the belt
Wudan Yan 12 hours ago

When Steven Bell caught Covid-19 this spring, he was surprised that he didn’t have a fever. Rather, it felt like a bad sinus infection. Soon, he lost his sense of smell, and went on to develop insomnia. He felt like the virus was also affecting his circulation, and would swing his arms in circles to keep the blood flowing. Then, more bafflingly, when he and his wife were intimate, he couldn’t get an erection. “It was frustrating and infuriating for me, because I knew it wasn’t working the way it should,” said Bell, a 49-year-old from Phoenix, AZ. “My ego wouldn’t accept that I was performing like an 80-year-old in the bedroom.”

Some men who have survived Covid-19 say that the virus may have impacted their ability to get or maintain an erection. That tracks with the idea that Covid-19 is a vascular disease, which Elemental senior writer Dana Smith explained at length in May, as blood flow is important for getting or maintaining an erection. Erectile dysfunction can occur at any age — and becomes more common as men get older — and may affect up to a third of all men. In the context of Covid-19, men as young as 39 have been documented to experience erectile dysfunction as they recovered from the virus.

“In order to have really great sex, you have to be able to relax. The pandemic just makes that exceedingly difficult for many people.”

Currently, there are a handful of anecdotal reports, but no hard data nor large-scale study that documents the link, if any, between Covid-19 and erectile dysfunction. But for the men experiencing such issues, they’re convinced that the erectile dysfunction was caused by the novel coronavirus, because they never had issues with arousal or performance during sex prior to contracting the virus. Hunter Wessells, MD, a urologist at the University of Washington School of Medicine, urges other practitioners to collect this data on their patients. “It’s important to study it, because the total number of people involved may be in the millions and across all age ranges,” he says.

What’s actually causing the ED?

Figuring out the cause of erectile dysfunction would be challenging as there are so many potential causes.

No matter the cause, “[erectile dysfunction is] the final common pathway that no man wants to go to,” says William W. Li, MD, president and medical director of the Angiogenesis Foundation, a nonprofit that studies the health and disease of blood vessels.

For starters, the pandemic has introduced an immense amount of stress, says Alexandra Stockwell, a relationship and intimacy expert. “The desire for sex and intimacy is lower,” Stockwell says. “In order to have really great sex, you have to be able to relax. The pandemic just makes that exceedingly difficult for many people.”

That seemed true for Bruce (whose name has been changed to protect his privacy), a 66-year-old from Long Island, NY, who experienced erectile dysfunction after getting Covid-19 in late March. For him, the ED, which persisted for four to five weeks, was just the tip of his issues. “I just wanted to be alive,” he said. “The ED was no big deal.”

Based on what scientists know about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, it’s possible that the virus could have direct effects on erectile dysfunction. Successfully getting and maintaining an erection not only depends on mood, but also testosterone, blood flow, and nerves. In the penis, nerves are critically dependent on a fishnet of blood vessels to get an erection. SARS-CoV-2 exploits the ACE2 receptor, which is found in both nerve cells and endothelial cells lining blood vessels. ACE2 is also found in the cells of the testicles, the organ in men that makes testosterone, a hormone that fuels a man’s sex drive. Li and his colleagues have found that the virus infects testicular cells during the acute phase of Covid-19, which means the virus may be impacting testosterone production.

On top of the effects in the penis, Covid-19 affects the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, which, in turn, are critical for sexual function, says Li.

Wessells notes that underlying health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, inactivity, and smoking, may predispose men to developing ED, and that at least a few of those are associated with a higher risk of contracting Covid-19 as well. Once someone contracts Covid-19, that may be the “straw that broke the camel’s back for the ED,” Wessells says.

Fortunately, for men who suffer from erectile dysfunction, many treatments, such as Viagra, should help even if Covid-19 has damaged the vasculature, says Wessells.

Some men who say Covid-19 caused their erectile dysfunction have found some reprieve.

Art (whose name has also been changed to protect his privacy), a 53-year-old from Elmira, New York, waited until marriage to have sex with his wife. Both of them got Covid-19 in the spring. During their honeymoon this summer, the sex just… didn’t happen, because he couldn’t get an erection. “We knew we wanted children, but I’m having all sorts of issues,” he said. “There’s definitely a degree of guilt. I’m convinced I’m the problem.” Doctors dismissed his concerns that the erectile dysfunction may have been caused by Covid-19. He eventually got over the stigma of talking about his sexual health and opened up to his parents, who suggested he start taking Geritol, vitamins that help with sexual dysfunction. So far, Art says, they’ve helped. “I need to make the best of it when I have it.”

Even so, the emotional toll for some men persists.

“When I’m in the mood and physically reporting for duty, my anxiety has increased,” says Bell. And he’s still sometimes frustrated about the impact that Covid-19 has had on his sex life: the erectile dysfunction “crushed” his confidence during sex.

For now, he hopes that his story offers a cautionary tale. “Stay away from Covid to keep that willy up.”

Week 12: 4 Observations on the L.A. Rams’ 23-20 loss to the 49ers

* http://ramstalk.net/week12ramsloss/

The Los Angeles Rams (7-4) suffered a heartbreaking 23-20 loss to the San Francisco 49ers (5-6) at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, November 29. Rams quarterback Jared Goff completed 19 of 31 passes for 198 yards, two interceptions and a fumble lost in the defeat.

Here are four observations on the game:

TIME FOR JARED GOFF TO GROW UP

I’ve defended Goff for much of his career for good reason. The Rams put him in a poor position with former head coach Jeff Fisher as a rookie, and he’s played under multiple offensive coordinators and quarterback coaches. However, the Rams traded a bounty to select him as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft to be their franchise quarterback. They later paid him $134 million over four years ($110 million guaranteed) believing that he was ready to lead the franchise. What we saw today from Goff is far below any bar set for a fifth-year franchise quarterback. In truth, Goff’s performance put him nowhere near the value of what the Rams are paying for.

Goff will enter next week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals with the highest completion percentage of his career (67.25%). He’s already over 3,000 passing yards with an improved touchdown to interception ratio (16-10) over last season. Yet the inconsistent play that began in late 2018 has continued well into this season. Goff struggles under pressure and often fails to read opposing defenses. He possesses elite raw talent, but Goff’s decision-making often hurts his team at the worst times.

The Rams’ defense led the comeback against the 49ers, saving Goff from taking full responsibility for the team’s loss. Still, his mistakes buried the Rams for much of the game. There are no more excuses for Jared Goff. His offensive line didn’t perform well, and head coach Sean McVay certainly deserves to be questioned for his playcalling, but Goff is paid to lead this franchise on the field. It’s time he acted like it.

SEAN MCVAY’S FAILURE EVIDENT

I’ve said it time and time again on the Rams Talk Radio podcast: John Lynch built the 49ers to beat the Rams. However, that doesn’t mean the Rams cannot match up with them. The 49ers feature a strong pass rush and a fast front seven. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh continually gameplans well for the Rams by constantly pressuring Goff and shutting down the edge against the running game.

Sean McVay failed to adjust for his offensive line’s rough performance against the 49ers pass rush for much of the first 35 minutes of the game. Keeping Goff in the pocket against that pass rush proved costly time and time again. Couple that with his failure to establish the running game and McVay hamstrung his quarterback. The 49ers’ speed stymied the Rams running game on the outside, so the obvious answer would be to attack that speed by going in between the tackles. Unfortunately, McVay failed to do that until later in the game.

McVay remains one of the brightest young minds in the game. However, he won’t win a Super Bowl until he learns to get out of his own way. Right now, McVay tends to get impatient when things don’t go his way, especially with the running game. Sometimes it’s a matter of patience, especially when facing athletic defenses. McVay could go down in history as one of the greatest coaches in the NFL. I truly believe that. However, it’s not going to happen if he doesn’t get out of his own head more.

THE OFFENSIVE LINE IS A CONCERN

The Rams offensive line protected Goff well against Tampa Bay last week, but it struggled against the aggressive 49ers front seven. Add in the Rams’ issues running the ball in the last two weeks, and there is reason for concern. The unit simply isn’t getting enough push at the line with left tackle Andrew Whitworth out of the lineup. Los Angeles is at its best when it physically controls the game. The Rams aren’t doing that, and with the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray up next, a power running game is essential for their chances. It’s time for this entire unit to step up both in pass protection and in the running game. The Rams won’t make it far without the big men showing what they are made of up front.

THE BRIGHT SPOT

Fortunately, defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s unit kept the Rams in the game despite four turnovers from the offense. Defensive lineman Aaron Donald reaffirmed his place among the best in the league with a dominant performance in the second half, culminating in a forced fumble returned for a touchdown by defensive back Troy Hill. There will be those that are critical of the defense’s performance on the last drive of the game. Yet it seems idiotic to point the blame at a unit that pulled the Rams back from the brink. The tired defense proved unable to make one more stop, but a nine-minute time of possession difference points to the offense, which failed to carry its weight. If Goff and the offense can figure it out, the Rams have a chance at a deep playoff run.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/titans/2020/10/08/tennessee-titans-buffalo-bills-game-postponed-covid-19-coronavirus/5922306002/
Why the NFL needs to immediately end the Titans’ 2020 season
Since last week, the NFL and NFLPA have had representatives in Nashville, investigating why the Tennessee Titans have by far the most positive COVID tests of any NFL team. The organization has had …
touchdownwire.usatoday.com

The Titans’ season should be cancelled. Part of the reason guys like A’Shawn aren’t coming back is because of the positive tests. The rest of the NFL has done amazing.

View: https://elemental.medium.com/a-supercomputer-analyzed-covid-19-and-an-interesting-new-theory-has-emerged-31cb8eba9d63

Earlier this summer, the Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee set about crunching data on more than 40,000 genes from 17,000 genetic samples in an effort to better understand Covid-19. Summit is the second-fastest computer in the world, but the process — which involved analyzing 2.5 billion genetic combinations — still took more than a week.

When Summit was done, researchers analyzed the results. It was, in the words of Dr. Daniel Jacobson, lead researcher and chief scientist for computational systems biology at Oak Ridge, a “eureka moment.” The computer had revealed a new theory about how Covid-19 impacts the body: the bradykinin hypothesis. The hypothesis provides a model that explains many aspects of Covid-19, including some of its most bizarre symptoms. It also suggests 10-plus potential treatments, many of which are already FDA approved. Jacobson’s group published their results in a paper in the journal eLife in early July.

According to the team’s findings, a Covid-19 infection generally begins when the virus enters the body through ACE2 receptors in the nose, (The receptors, which the virus is known to target, are abundant there.) The virus then proceeds through the body, entering cells in other places where ACE2 is also present: the intestines, kidneys, and heart. This likely accounts for at least some of the disease’s cardiac and GI symptoms.

(Sign up for Your Coronavirus Update, a biweekly newsletter with the latest news, expert advice, and analysis to keep you safe)

But once Covid-19 has established itself in the body, things start to get really interesting. According to Jacobson’s group, the data Summit analyzed shows that Covid-19 isn’t content to simply infect cells that already express lots of ACE2 receptors. Instead, it actively hijacks the body’s own systems, tricking it into upregulating ACE2 receptors in places where they’re usually expressed at low or medium levels, including the lungs.

In this sense, Covid-19 is like a burglar who slips in your unlocked second-floor window and starts to ransack your house. Once inside, though, they don’t just take your stuff — they also throw open all your doors and windows so their accomplices can rush in and help pillage more efficiently.

The renin–angiotensin system (RAS) controls many aspects of the circulatory system, including the body’s levels of a chemical called bradykinin, which normally helps to regulate blood pressure. According to the team’s analysis, when the virus tweaks the RAS, it causes the body’s mechanisms for regulating bradykinin to go haywire. Bradykinin receptors are resensitized, and the body also stops effectively breaking down bradykinin. (ACE normally degrades bradykinin, but when the virus downregulates it, it can’t do this as effectively.)

The end result, the researchers say, is to release a bradykinin storm — a massive, runaway buildup of bradykinin in the body. According to the bradykinin hypothesis, it’s this storm that is ultimately responsible for many of Covid-19’s deadly effects. Jacobson’s team says in their paper that “the pathology of Covid-19 is likely the result of Bradykinin Storms rather than cytokine storms,” which had been previously identified in Covid-19 patients, but that “the two may be intricately linked.” Other papers had previously identified bradykinin storms as a possible cause of Covid-19’s pathologies.

Covid-19 is like a burglar who slips in your unlocked second-floor window and starts to ransack your house.

As bradykinin builds up in the body, it dramatically increases vascular permeability. In short, it makes your blood vessels leaky. This aligns with recent clinical data, which increasingly views Covid-19 primarily as a vascular disease, rather than a respiratory one. But Covid-19 still has a massive effect on the lungs. As blood vessels start to leak due to a bradykinin storm, the researchers say, the lungs can fill with fluid. Immune cells also leak out into the lungs, Jacobson’s team found, causing inflammation.

Coronavirus May Be a Blood Vessel Disease, Which Explains Everything
Many of the infection’s bizarre symptoms have one thing in common
elemental.medium.com

And Covid-19 has another especially insidious trick. Through another pathway, the team’s data shows, it increases production of hyaluronic acid (HLA) in the lungs. HLA is often used in soaps and lotions for its ability to absorb more than 1,000 times its weight in fluid. When it combines with fluid leaking into the lungs, the results are disastrous: It forms a hydrogel, which can fill the lungs in some patients. According to Jacobson, once this happens, “it’s like trying to breathe through Jell-O.”

This may explain why ventilators have proven less effective in treating advanced Covid-19 than doctors originally expected, based on experiences with other viruses. “It reaches a point where regardless of how much oxygen you pump in, it doesn’t matter, because the alveoli in the lungs are filled with this hydrogel,” Jacobson says. “The lungs become like a water balloon.” Patients can suffocate even while receiving full breathing support.

The bradykinin hypothesis also extends to many of Covid-19’s effects on the heart. About one in five hospitalized Covid-19 patients have damage to their hearts, even if they never had cardiac issues before. Some of this is likely due to the virus infecting the heart directly through its ACE2 receptors. But the RAS also controls aspects of cardiac contractions and blood pressure. According to the researchers, bradykinin storms could create arrhythmias and low blood pressure, which are often seen in Covid-19 patients.

The bradykinin hypothesis also accounts for Covid-19’s neurological effects, which are some of the most surprising and concerning elements of the disease. These symptoms (which include dizziness, seizures, delirium, and stroke) are present in as many as half of hospitalized Covid-19 patients. According to Jacobson and his team, MRI studies in France revealed that many Covid-19 patients have evidence of leaky blood vessels in their brains.

Bradykinin — especially at high doses — can also lead to a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. Under normal circumstances, this barrier acts as a filter between your brain and the rest of your circulatory system. It lets in the nutrients and small molecules that the brain needs to function, while keeping out toxins and pathogens and keeping the brain’s internal environment tightly regulated.

If bradykinin storms cause the blood-brain barrier to break down, this could allow harmful cells and compounds into the brain, leading to inflammation, potential brain damage, and many of the neurological symptoms Covid-19 patients experience. Jacobson told me, “It is a reasonable hypothesis that many of the neurological symptoms in Covid-19 could be due to an excess of bradykinin. It has been reported that bradykinin would indeed be likely to increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. In addition, similar neurological symptoms have been observed in other diseases that result from an excess of bradykinin.”

Increased bradykinin levels could also account for other common Covid-19 symptoms. ACE inhibitors — a class of drugs used to treat high blood pressure — have a similar effect on the RAS system as Covid-19, increasing bradykinin levels. In fact, Jacobson and his team note in their paper that “the virus… acts pharmacologically as an ACE inhibitor” — almost directly mirroring the actions of these drugs.

Medium Coronavirus Blog
A real-time resource for Covid-19 news, advice, and commentary.
coronavirus.medium.com

By acting like a natural ACE inhibitor, Covid-19 may be causing the same effects that hypertensive patients sometimes get when they take blood pressure–lowering drugs. ACE inhibitors are known to cause a dry cough and fatigue, two textbook symptoms of Covid-19. And they can potentially increase blood potassium levels, which has also been observed in Covid-19 patients. The similarities between ACE inhibitor side effects and Covid-19 symptoms strengthen the bradykinin hypothesis, the researchers say.

ACE inhibitors are also known to cause a loss of taste and smell. Jacobson stresses, though, that this symptom is more likely due to the virus “affecting the cells surrounding olfactory nerve cells” than the direct effects of bradykinin.

Though still an emerging theory, the bradykinin hypothesis explains several other of Covid-19’s seemingly bizarre symptoms. Jacobson and his team speculate that leaky vasculature caused by bradykinin storms could be responsible for “Covid toes,” a condition involving swollen, bruised toes that some Covid-19 patients experience. Bradykinin can also mess with the thyroid gland, which could produce the thyroid symptoms recently observed in some patients.

The bradykinin hypothesis could also explain some of the broader demographic patterns of the disease’s spread. The researchers note that some aspects of the RAS system are sex-linked, with proteins for several receptors (such as one called TMSB4X) located on the X chromosome. This means that “women… would have twice the levels of this protein than men,” a result borne out by the researchers’ data. In their paper, Jacobson’s team concludes that this “could explain the lower incidence of Covid-19 induced mortality in women.” A genetic quirk of the RAS could be giving women extra protection against the disease.

The bradykinin hypothesis provides a model that “contributes to a better understanding of Covid-19” and “adds novelty to the existing literature,” according to scientists Frank van de Veerdonk, Jos WM van der Meer, and Roger Little, who peer-reviewed the team’s paper. It predicts nearly all the disease’s symptoms, even ones (like bruises on the toes) that at first appear random, and further suggests new treatments for the disease.

As Jacobson and team point out, several drugs target aspects of the RAS and are already FDA approved to treat other conditions. They could arguably be applied to treating Covid-19 as well. Several, like danazol, stanozolol, and ecallantide, reduce bradykinin production and could potentially stop a deadly bradykinin storm. Others, like icatibant, reduce bradykinin signaling and could blunt its effects once it’s already in the body.

Interestingly, Jacobson’s team also suggests vitamin D as a potentially useful Covid-19 drug. The vitamin is involved in the RAS system and could prove helpful by reducing levels of another compound, known as REN. Again, this could stop potentially deadly bradykinin storms from forming. The researchers note that vitamin D has already been shown to help those with Covid-19. The vitamin is readily available over the counter, and around 20% of the population is deficient. If indeed the vitamin proves effective at reducing the severity of bradykinin storms, it could be an easy, relatively safe way to reduce the severity of the virus.

Other compounds could treat symptoms associated with bradykinin storms. Hymecromone, for example, could reduce hyaluronic acid levels, potentially stopping deadly hydrogels from forming in the lungs. And timbetasin could mimic the mechanism that the researchers believe protects women from more severe Covid-19 infections. All of these potential treatments are speculative, of course, and would need to be studied in a rigorous, controlled environment before their effectiveness could be determined and they could be used more broadly.

Covid-19 stands out for both the scale of its global impact and the apparent randomness of its many symptoms. Physicians have struggled to understand the disease and come up with a unified theory for how it works. Though as of yet unproven, the bradykinin hypothesis provides such a theory. And like all good hypotheses, it also provides specific, testable predictions — in this case, actual drugs that could provide relief to real patients.

The researchers are quick to point out that “the testing of any of these pharmaceutical interventions should be done in well-designed clinical trials.” As to the next step in the process, Jacobson is clear: “We have to get this message out.” His team’s finding won’t cure Covid-19. But if the treatments it points to pan out in the clinic, interventions guided by the bradykinin hypothesis could greatly reduce patients’ suffering — and potentially save lives.

NOTE: This article is pretty dense. I’m happy to answer any questions as best I can or make the appropriate referrals.

If these findings are verified, then it proves WHY athletes who make their living being the best by fractions of a percent are in danger of losing their careers and worse for those with undiagnosed CTE. Even the idea that some player with undiagnosed CTE could get COVID from a careless Titan and have his brain devastated is beyond the pale.

I agree that the Titans should be harshly dealt with up to and including going straight to ownership and letting them know that this is a forced sale level violation if they don’t take every drastic and immediate measure to get into and stay in compliance with all local, state, federal and league rules.

Wrt COVID19, the NFL needs to be the Not Fuckin-around League.

2020 has sucked enough. We don’t need losing football to be the shit cherry on the top of this giant shit sundae of a year…

• This topic was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Mackeyser.

URL = https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/California-2020-ballot-measures-propositions-guide-15578295.php

A dummy’s guide to California 2020 ballot measures

By Eric Ting, SFGATE Updated 4:00 am PDT, Monday, September 21, 2020
You’ve seen the ads. But you’re not sure what any of these California ballot measures actually do.
Fear not! Here’s a handy, simple guide to each of the 12 propositions on the California ballot for the November general election. From affirmative action to overturning the highly controversial gig worker bill (AB-5), there are plenty of significant measures California residents will be voting on this fall. This guide is broken into three categories: 1. The big ones that interest groups are dumping millions of advertising dollars into, 2. The criminal justice ones, and 3. The rest.

THE BIG ONES
Proposition 16
What it does: Allows the state and its public universities to discriminate or grant preferential treatment based on race, sex, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, education, or contracting.
Major players for it: The University of California Board of Regents, Sens. Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein, and various Black Lives Matter-related advocacy groups.
Major players against it: A number of Asian American groups and Republicans in the California state Assembly.
Recent polling: 31% support, 47% oppose, 22% undecided (PPIC poll, Sept. 4-Sept 13.)
New poll finds shaky support for Proposition 16 to restore affirmative action in California (LA Times)
Proposition 16: Why some Asian Americans are on the front lines of the campaign against affirmative action (Mercury News)

Proposition 15
What it does: Raises funds for schools and local governments by requiring commercial and industrial properties with more than $3 million in holdings to be taxed based on market value as opposed to purchase price. Does not impact homeowners.
Major players for it: Gov. Gavin Newsom, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, and the California Teacher’s Association.
Major players against it: California Chamber of Commerce, California Small Business Association and several taxpayers’ groups.
Recent polling: 51% support, 40% oppose, 9% undecided (PPIC poll, Sept. 4-Sept 13.)
Prop. 15 could raise billions for California, But who will pay? (NBC San Diego)
Governor’s endorsement of Proposition 15 disappoints Farm Bureau (Lassen County Times)

Proposition 22
What it does: Classifies app-based drivers as independent contractors and not employees, which effectively kneecaps AB5.
Major players for it: Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other similar services.
Major players against it: Sen. Kamala Harris, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, and several state Assembly Democrats.
Recent polling: 41% support, 26% oppose, 34% undecided (Redfield and Wilton poll, Aug. 9)
Uber and Lyft have poured millions of dollars into a November ballot measure to keep Calif. drivers paid as independent contractors (Business Insider)
Uber analyst expects California’s Prop. 22 to pass based on latest polling (Yahoo Finance)

Proposition 21
What it does: Allows local governments to enact rent control on housing that was first occupied over 15 years ago.
Major players for it: Sen. Bernie Sanders, Democratic Socialists of America, Los Angeles chapter and various tenants’ groups.
Major players against it: Gov. Gavin Newsom, California Apartment Association and construction workers’ unions.
Recent polling: N/A
Bernie Sanders backs rent control, slams greedy landlords in new ‘yes on 21’ spot (Business Wire)
Opponents of rent control initiative say Prop. 21 backers violated Stolen Valor Act in ad (San Diego Union Tribune)

THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE ONES
Proposition 25
What it does: Eliminates cash bail and gives judges the ability to determine whether a defendant should be released prior to a trial.
Major players for it: Gov. Gavin Newsom, several congressional Democrats and civil liberties groups.
Major players against it: Orange County Board of Supervisors and several groups affiliated with the bail bonds industry.
Recent polling: 39% support, 32% oppose, 29% undecided (UC Berkeley Institute of Government Studies poll, Sept. 13-Sept.18)
California’s cash bail system favors the rich. Would replacing it help people of color? (Fresno Bee)
Prop. 25 will replace cash bail with risk assessment, if passed (Daily Cal)

Proposition 17
What it does: Restores voting rights to people with felony convictions who have been released from prison but remain on parole.
Major players for it: Sen. Kamala Harris, the ACLU of California and many state Assembly Democrats.
Major players against it: State Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-4) and the Election Integrity Project California.
Recent polling: N/A
LA County supervisors support proposition restoring voting rights to those on parole (CBS Los Angeles)
Alex Padilla: Why Prop. 17 will strengthen both voting rights and public safety (San Diego Union Tribune)

Proposition 20
What it does: Adds several crimes to the list of violent felonies for which early parole is restricted. Would undo a series of reforms enacted between 2011 and 2016 aimed at reducing the state’s prison population.
Major players for it: Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-9) and multiple law-enforcement-affiliated groups.
Major players against it: Former Gov. Jerry Brown, the ACLU of California and several criminal justice reform advocacy groups.
Recent polling: N/A
Grocery stores are pushing California to be tougher on crime (LA Times)
Opposition to Prop. 20 increases; opponents charge it’s a step backward for CA (Davis Vanguard)

THE REST
Proposition 19
What it does: Allows homeowners over the age of 55, disabled or victims of a natural disaster to take existing, lower property tax rates to new homes anywhere in the state.
Major players for it: California Realtors Association, California Professional Firefighters and several local real estate groups.
Major players against it: Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

Recent polling: N/A

Links to learn more:
Prop. 19 debate: Funding for fighting wildfires or attack on Prop 13 tax protections? (CBS San Francisco)
Worried about fires? California ballot initiative could help you move to a new city (Sacramento Bee)

Proposition 24
What it does: Expands the state’s consumer data privacy laws by creating a new state agency to enforce privacy laws, empowering consumers to order that businesses not sell their personal information, and increasing financial penalties on those who violate privacy laws.
Major players for it: Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and several online privacy groups.
Major players against it: ACLU of California and the Consumer Federation of California.
Recent polling: N/A
Links to learn more:
Andrew Yang takes lead role in California data privacy campaign (Politico)
Prop. 24 seemingly seeks to expand internet privacy, critics say it won’t (Salinas Californian)

Proposition 18
What it does: Allows 17-year-old Californians who will be 18 by the following general election to vote in primaries and special elections.
Major players for it: California Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Assembyman Kevin Mullin (D-22).
Major players against it: The Election Integrity Project California.
Recent polling: N/A
Links to learn more:
Alex Padilla: Vote yes on Prop. 18 to engage, energize and empower the next generation of voters (San Diego Union Tribune)
Thousands of 17-year-olds could vote in California primaries if initiative passes, study says (Sacramento Bee)

Proposition 14
What it does: Issues $5.5 billion in general obligation bonds for the state’s stem cell research institute.
Major players for it: Californians for Stem Cell Research, Treatments & Cures and the University of California Board of Regents.
Major players against it: The Center for Genetics and Society
Recent polling: N/A
Link to learn more:
Prop. 14: There’s much, much more than meets the eye (Capitol Weekly)

Proposition 23
What it does: Places several new regulations on dialysis clinics, including requiring an on-site physician, mandating increased reporting of dialysis-related infections, and not allowing clinics to close before obtaining consent from the state health department.
Major players for it: Californians for Kidney Dialysis Patient Protection
Major players against it: American Legion, California Medical Association and several veterans’ and health groups.
Link to learn more:
Prop. 23: Kidney dialysis clinic rules (Cal Matters)

A Supercomputer Analyzed Covid-19 — and an Interesting New Theory Has Emerged
A closer look at the Bradykinin hypothesis[/b]

https://elemental.medium.com/a-supercomputer-analyzed-covid-19-and-an-interesting-new-theory-has-emerged-31cb8eba9d63

Earlier this summer, the Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee set about crunching data on more than 40,000 genes from 17,000 genetic samples in an effort to better understand Covid-19. Summit is the second-fastest computer in the world, but the process — which involved analyzing 2.5 billion genetic combinations — still took more than a week.
When Summit was done, researchers analyzed the results. It was, in the words of Dr. Daniel Jacobson, lead researcher and chief scientist for computational systems biology at Oak Ridge, a “eureka moment.” The computer had revealed a new theory about how Covid-19 impacts the body: the bradykinin hypothesis. The hypothesis provides a model that explains many aspects of Covid-19, including some of its most bizarre symptoms. It also suggests 10-plus potential treatments, many of which are already FDA approved. Jacobson’s group published their results in a paper in the journal eLife in early July.
According to the team’s findings, a Covid-19 infection generally begins when the virus enters the body through ACE2 receptors in the nose, (The receptors, which the virus is known to target, are abundant there.) The virus then proceeds through the body, entering cells in other places where ACE2 is also present: the intestines, kidneys, and heart. This likely accounts for at least some of the disease’s cardiac and GI symptoms.

But once Covid-19 has established itself in the body, things start to get really interesting. According to Jacobson’s group, the data Summit analyzed shows that Covid-19 isn’t content to simply infect cells that already express lots of ACE2 receptors. Instead, it actively hijacks the body’s own systems, tricking it into upregulating ACE2 receptors in places where they’re usually expressed at low or medium levels, including the lungs.
In this sense, Covid-19 is like a burglar who slips in your unlocked second-floor window and starts to ransack your house. Once inside, though, they don’t just take your stuff — they also throw open all your doors and windows so their accomplices can rush in and help pillage more efficiently.
The renin–angiotensin system (RAS) controls many aspects of the circulatory system, including the body’s levels of a chemical called bradykinin, which normally helps to regulate blood pressure. According to the team’s analysis, when the virus tweaks the RAS, it causes the body’s mechanisms for regulating bradykinin to go haywire. Bradykinin receptors are resensitized, and the body also stops effectively breaking down bradykinin. (ACE normally degrades bradykinin, but when the virus downregulates it, it can’t do this as effectively.)
The end result, the researchers say, is to release a bradykinin storm — a massive, runaway buildup of bradykinin in the body. According to the bradykinin hypothesis, it’s this storm that is ultimately responsible for many of Covid-19’s deadly effects. Jacobson’s team says in their paper that “the pathology of Covid-19 is likely the result of Bradykinin Storms rather than cytokine storms,” which had been previously identified in Covid-19 patients, but that “the two may be intricately linked.” Other papers had previously identified bradykinin storms as a possible cause of Covid-19’s pathologies.
As bradykinin builds up in the body, it dramatically increases vascular permeability. In short, it makes your blood vessels leaky. This aligns with recent clinical data, which increasingly views Covid-19 primarily as a vascular disease, rather than a respiratory one. But Covid-19 still has a massive effect on the lungs. As blood vessels start to leak due to a bradykinin storm, the researchers say, the lungs can fill with fluid. Immune cells also leak out into the lungs, Jacobson’s team found, causing inflammation.
And Covid-19 has another especially insidious trick. Through another pathway, the team’s data shows, it increases production of hyaluronic acid (HLA) in the lungs. HLA is often used in soaps and lotions for its ability to absorb more than 1,000 times its weight in fluid. When it combines with fluid leaking into the lungs, the results are disastrous: It forms a hydrogel, which can fill the lungs in some patients. According to Jacobson, once this happens, “it’s like trying to breathe through Jell-O.”
This may explain why ventilators have proven less effective in treating advanced Covid-19 than doctors originally expected, based on experiences with other viruses. “It reaches a point where regardless of how much oxygen you pump in, it doesn’t matter, because the alveoli in the lungs are filled with this hydrogel,” Jacobson says. “The lungs become like a water balloon.” Patients can suffocate even while receiving full breathing support.
The bradykinin hypothesis also extends to many of Covid-19’s effects on the heart. About one in five hospitalized Covid-19 patients have damage to their hearts, even if they never had cardiac issues before. Some of this is likely due to the virus infecting the heart directly through its ACE2 receptors. But the RAS also controls aspects of cardiac contractions and blood pressure. According to the researchers, bradykinin storms could create arrhythmias and low blood pressure, which are often seen in Covid-19 patients.
The bradykinin hypothesis also accounts for Covid-19’s neurological effects, which are some of the most surprising and concerning elements of the disease. These symptoms (which include dizziness, seizures, delirium, and stroke) are present in as many as half of hospitalized Covid-19 patients. According to Jacobson and his team, MRI studies in France revealed that many Covid-19 patients have evidence of leaky blood vessels in their brains.
Bradykinin — especially at high doses — can also lead to a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. Under normal circumstances, this barrier acts as a filter between your brain and the rest of your circulatory system. It lets in the nutrients and small molecules that the brain needs to function, while keeping out toxins and pathogens and keeping the brain’s internal environment tightly regulated.
If bradykinin storms cause the blood-brain barrier to break down, this could allow harmful cells and compounds into the brain, leading to inflammation, potential brain damage, and many of the neurological symptoms Covid-19 patients experience. Jacobson told me, “It is a reasonable hypothesis that many of the neurological symptoms in Covid-19 could be due to an excess of bradykinin. It has been reported that bradykinin would indeed be likely to increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. In addition, similar neurological symptoms have been observed in other diseases that result from an excess of bradykinin.”
Increased bradykinin levels could also account for other common Covid-19 symptoms. ACE inhibitors — a class of drugs used to treat high blood pressure — have a similar effect on the RAS system as Covid-19, increasing bradykinin levels. In fact, Jacobson and his team note in their paper that “the virus… acts pharmacologically as an ACE inhibitor” — almost directly mirroring the actions of these drugs.

By acting like a natural ACE inhibitor, Covid-19 may be causing the same effects that hypertensive patients sometimes get when they take blood pressure–lowering drugs. ACE inhibitors are known to cause a dry cough and fatigue, two textbook symptoms of Covid-19. And they can potentially increase blood potassium levels, which has also been observed in Covid-19 patients. The similarities between ACE inhibitor side effects and Covid-19 symptoms strengthen the bradykinin hypothesis, the researchers say.
ACE inhibitors are also known to cause a loss of taste and smell. Jacobson stresses, though, that this symptom is more likely due to the virus “affecting the cells surrounding olfactory nerve cells” than the direct effects of bradykinin.
Though still an emerging theory, the bradykinin hypothesis explains several other of Covid-19’s seemingly bizarre symptoms. Jacobson and his team speculate that leaky vasculature caused by bradykinin storms could be responsible for “Covid toes,” a condition involving swollen, bruised toes that some Covid-19 patients experience. Bradykinin can also mess with the thyroid gland, which could produce the thyroid symptoms recently observed in some patients.
The bradykinin hypothesis could also explain some of the broader demographic patterns of the disease’s spread. The researchers note that some aspects of the RAS system are sex-linked, with proteins for several receptors (such as one called TMSB4X) located on the X chromosome. This means that “women… would have twice the levels of this protein than men,” a result borne out by the researchers’ data. In their paper, Jacobson’s team concludes that this “could explain the lower incidence of Covid-19 induced mortality in women.” A genetic quirk of the RAS could be giving women extra protection against the disease.
The bradykinin hypothesis provides a model that “contributes to a better understanding of Covid-19” and “adds novelty to the existing literature,” according to scientists Frank van de Veerdonk, Jos WM van der Meer, and Roger Little, who peer-reviewed the team’s paper. It predicts nearly all the disease’s symptoms, even ones (like bruises on the toes) that at first appear random, and further suggests new treatments for the disease.
As Jacobson and team point out, several drugs target aspects of the RAS and are already FDA approved to treat other conditions. They could arguably be applied to treating Covid-19 as well. Several, like danazol, stanozolol, and ecallantide, reduce bradykinin production and could potentially stop a deadly bradykinin storm. Others, like icatibant, reduce bradykinin signaling and could blunt its effects once it’s already in the body.
Interestingly, Jacobson’s team also suggests vitamin D as a potentially useful Covid-19 drug. The vitamin is involved in the RAS system and could prove helpful by reducing levels of another compound, known as REN. Again, this could stop potentially deadly bradykinin storms from forming. The researchers note that vitamin D has already been shown to help those with Covid-19. The vitamin is readily available over the counter, and around 20% of the population is deficient. If indeed the vitamin proves effective at reducing the severity of bradykinin storms, it could be an easy, relatively safe way to reduce the severity of the virus.
Other compounds could treat symptoms associated with bradykinin storms. Hymecromone, for example, could reduce hyaluronic acid levels, potentially stopping deadly hydrogels from forming in the lungs. And timbetasin could mimic the mechanism that the researchers believe protects women from more severe Covid-19 infections. All of these potential treatments are speculative, of course, and would need to be studied in a rigorous, controlled environment before their effectiveness could be determined and they could be used more broadly.
Covid-19 stands out for both the scale of its global impact and the apparent randomness of its many symptoms. Physicians have struggled to understand the disease and come up with a unified theory for how it works. Though as of yet unproven, the bradykinin hypothesis provides such a theory. And like all good hypotheses, it also provides specific, testable predictions — in this case, actual drugs that could provide relief to real patients.
The researchers are quick to point out that “the testing of any of these pharmaceutical interventions should be done in well-designed clinical trials.” As to the next step in the process, Jacobson is clear: “We have to get this message out.” His team’s finding won’t cure Covid-19. But if the treatments it points to pan out in the clinic, interventions guided by the bradykinin hypothesis could greatly reduce patients’ suffering — and potentially save lives.